Production of matrices.



J. W. AYLSWORTH.

PRODUCTION 0F M ES,

APPLICATION man Au 9, 1910.

designs.

Y'u';1.\urEn STATES PATENI OFFICE.

JONAS vv. AYLsvvoRrrI, lor EAST ORANGE, NEIv'JERsEY, yifi's'sIeNoR,Br-DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, To CONDENSITE COMPANY or AIJIERIOA,oE'EAs'r. ORANeE. NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OE NEW JERSEY.

PRODUCTION or' MATRIOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Appueation mea August 29, 1910. serial No.'579,5's5.

processes, said matrix having properties which adapt it to be used forthe production of a large number of duplicate printing or embossingWorking plates 'which may be used for printing or einboss'in either thecoarsest letters or designs or the nestpho'toengravings, phonographicimpressions, or

The invention comprises the making of the said novel matrix as a'reversedA facsimile of an intaglio or relief plateQwhich may be aphoto-engraving, photo-electrotype, half-tone, or other well knownplate,or a block of set type, phonograph record master 'or matriX, or otherarticle to be reproduced.

In order that the invention maybe more clearly understood, reference ishereby made tothe accompanying drawings'of which-v Figure' 1v is atransverse section of an intaglio or relief plate such as aphoto-engraving, photo-electrotype, half-tone, etc.; Fig. 2 is a similarview showing lsuch plate pressed against a slab of material as herein,

described to form the improved matrix; Fig. 3 1s a similar View of themartiri after the plate has been removed therefroni.

' In practising the invention I form vthe matrix 1 by pressing a plasticphenolic condensa-tion product, or by casting a fusible phenoliccondensation product, capable of being hardened to the infusib'le crnon-plas- 'ticstate, against the'plate 2, block of type,

phonograph record master or niatrizr, or other object to be copied, andharden the saine while in Contact with the plate by the application of asufficient degree of heatto, cause the hardening to take place.

product which I prefer -to employ for this purpose is fully described inmy `laatent No.

1,020,593, dated March 19, 1012, and comf 'prises a mixture of a fusiblephenol resin,

with which has been incorporated from 7:6

The f per cent. to 12 per cent. of its Weight ofheXa-methylene-tetra-amin, these ingredients having been mixed togetherat a temperature of 220O F. or lower. These ingredients will not reactwhen mixed together at such a temperature but upon subsequent heating toa suiiicient temperature'and for a sufficient time Will react to formthe desired infusible insoluble hard condensation product, as is fullydescribed in saidapplication. Or, A1n place of the above, thecomposition describedin my Patent No. 1,102,630, issued July 7 1914,maybe used, in which composition the 'heXa1nethylene-tetra-amin ofthecomposition just described is replaced by a solid anhydrouspolymerized formaldehyde, 'such as di`oXymethylene, in a properproportion, from 5to 10 .per cent. of the Weight of the phenol resin. Ineither case the final 'infusible product is caused by the combination ofthe methylene radical CH2 of either Vthe heXa-meth`ylene-tetraamin orthe polymeriz'ed formaldehyde with the phenol Patented June 22, 1915.

resin, which latter substance is 'a fusible phenol-methylenecondensation product. In these compositions the solid solvent e'lementsrdescribed vin ythe above vmentioned applications should not 'beincluded. The product described may be used alone or 'IniX'e'd with -asuitable inert powdered or viibrous illi'ng orreinforc'i'ng agent, suchas wood pulp asbestos, etc., in the proportion A'of 10 to od percent.ofthe filling or reinfv forci'ifgfageii't 'tjo y100v cent. of thefusible i Aphenol resin. tion of the ynat 'e 'disclosed in my PatentsNo. 1,098,608, ned June 2, 1914, and No. 1,102,631, issued duly 7, 1914.I vfind a special advantage in the use of asbestos as the illi'ngmaterial, in preference to the other 'iilli'ng materials describedabove. A matrix with asbestos as the filler, as described, withstandscompression particularlj veli it has less contraction on cooling tnmatrices formed of the saine or simile ,c nposit'ions 'with otherfillers or with filler. This small contractiomdue to the smalleoeticient ,of expansion of the 'material with asbestos fiiller,facilitates ythe removal the mold of printing plates formed t 'ceeincieno espansion, 'such as plates of the eenden preA ucts referred to herein.

`I might also use a composi n 'of materials having a greater.. 105

The product in its plastic state, preferably inthe form of a slab or asheet of required dimensions and constituting the raw material is warmedand pressed upon or against the plate 2 of which'the matrix is to be areversed fac-simile, and the material and plate are subjected to asufficient temperature such as one of 250 ,Fahrenheit or higher, untilthe material changes to its final hard, infusible, insoluble non-plasticstate. The material and plate are then cooled and separated from eachother. This operation results in a matrix l from which any number ofworking plates may be formed by either pressing plastic substancesthereon or by casting a suitable alloy metal or other fusible substancethereon.

Vhen exceedingly rapid work is desired, as in newspaper printing, thefollowing modification of the above process may be practised with almostequally good results: Sheets or slabs of the required dimensions areformed of a nal infusible phenolic conidensation product, such asdescribed in my Patents No. 1,020,593 and 1,102,630, referred to, havingincorporated therewith one of the 4final product solvent elementsdescribed in the said patents, which constitutes an agent which willcause the composition to become suficiently plastic when reheated to atemperature of from 300o to 350 F. to readily take the desiredimpression, while at the same time the composition remains infusible andinsoluble. The solid solvent element or plasticity agent referred tomaybe a nitro or chloro derivative of naphthalene, benzoic and cooling incontact'with the original inacid or anhydrid or other agents describedin my applications referred to. The matrix 1 is formed from these sheetsor slabs by pressing while heated to 300 F. or higher taglio or reliefplate 2, or block of type, or other object to be reproduced.

While I have stated that it is possible to use a composition in whichhexa-methylenetetra-amin is replaced by a solid anhydrous nolymerizedformaldehyde, such as dioxymethylene, as the methylene-containinghardening agent, with fair results, it should be "clearly understoodthat the composition described in my Patent No. 1,020,593 referred to,in which hexa-methylene-tetraamin is combined with fusible phenol resinto harden the same, is very superior thereto in practical work. Thesuperiority of the composition made with hexa-methylenetetra-amin overother forms of hardened in. fusible condensation products consists inthe fact that it does not stick to the plate 2 or object to be copied,after it has been hardened in contact therewith and cooled, whereas withthe other compositions there is a considerable tendency thus to stick.Further, .with y the hexa-methylene-tetra-amin composition the hardeningreaction takes place at4 comparatively low temperatures in a muchshorter ytime than with the other compositions, because of which its useis much more practical for the making o molds.

So far as I am aware, no organic or hotplastic substance has beenproposed prior to my present invention, for use as a matrix,

which will not becomeV plastic and entirely too soft and yielding, whenheated, in use, to be successfully used as a heated matrix. Substancessuch as lead, hard rubber, celluloid, papier-mch, gelatin and otherknown Y can be used successfully for molding objects therein attemperatures exceeding 230o F., without being at all deformed, whereaslead,

rubber and the other substances referred to above soften at suchtemperature and are rendered worthless for subsequent use as a matrix.As an example of the capability of my improved matrix in regard toheat-resistance, it may be stated that lead and even soft copper andaluminium when heated can be pressed into the same and shaped as desiredwith excellent4 Vresults and without marring the surface of the mold.This result would be impossible with molds formed of the substancesreferred to above, and satisfactory results would be impossible evenwith molds formed of some phenolic condensation products,'when moldingtherewith at temperatures exceeding 230 F. The unexpectedly superiorresults from the use of the material described by me in the formation ofmatrices was, and could only be, demonstrated by experiment.

It should be particularly noted thatthe matrix made by my invention isnot at all sensitive to or deformed by changes of temperature withinythe range in which it is used, and that by its use the ne points of ahalf-tone plate or the sharp fine lines of an engraving are reproducedin accurate detail, in negative, in the mold itself, and may betransferred accurately therefrom to objects molded or pressed therein,for a great number of impressions. A

It should be understood that my improved matrix is not strictly limitedto a composition formed in accordance with my prior patents referred toherein, the latter being mentioned as illustrations of preferredcompositions and methods of preparing the same. In general terms thematrix may be described as formed of an infusible phenolic condensationproduct having theproperties referred to in the specication and theappended claims.

Having now I claim is:

1. A matrix for producing fac-similes of intaglio and relief plates, settype and the like, and composed of a hard, infusible, in-

described my invention, what soluble phenol-methylene condensationproduct.-

2. A matrix for producing fac-similes of intaglio and relief plates, settype and the like, and composed of aVv hard, infusible,

phenol-methylene condensation product, andv asbestos.

3. A matrix for producing fac-similes of intaglio and relief plates, settype and the y like, composed of a hard reaction product of a fusiblephenol resin and a methylene containing hardening agent therefor.

4f. A matrix for producing acsimiles of intaglio and relief plates,half-tones, set type an'd the like, composed of the hard infusibleproduct formed by the combination under sul'icient heat of a fusiblephenolformaldehyde condensation product with heXa-methylene-tetra-amin.

5. A matrix for stereotype or like plates comprising an infusiblephenolic condensation product, said matrix capable -of Withstanding theaction of molten type metal or similar alloy forv the period necessaryfor itsv solidication, and capable of affording clear impressionsthereof.

This specification slgned and witnessed this 27th day of August 1910.v

' J @NAS W. AYLSWORTH.

Witnesses:

DELos HOLDEN,

H. H. DYKE.

